An aliphatic aldehyde having a specific molecular weight is useful as a fragrance material and further is also used as a raw material for derivatives having different fragrance notes.
Examples of conventionally known methods for producing an aldehyde include dehydrogenation or oxidation using alcohol as a raw material. Among them, since dehydrogenation is an endothermic reaction while oxidation is an exothermic reaction, dehydrogenation is frequently used as a method for producing an aldehyde due to the easy thermal control thereof. Moreover, catalysts for dehydrogenation also have been studied.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of producing an aldehyde by dehydrogenation of gaseous alcohol in the presence of a solid catalyst with low surface acidity.
Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing a formaldehyde, which is characterized in that gaseous methanol is subjected to oxidative dehydrogenation in the presence of a silver catalyst, a specific amount of water vapor, and an exhaust gas with a specific composition that was produced in a formaldehyde production, wherein the reaction is initiated at a low methanol load and a low temperature.
Patent Document 3 discloses a method of producing an aldehyde by dehydrogenation of an alcohol in the presence of a solid catalyst carrying copper, iron, and aluminum at an atomic ratio in a specific range.